Breakfast, Pesto, Pavlova etc.

Morning!  All of July I've been getting up at 7:00 a.m., and  I usually start making breakfast at 7:30.

A 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt with toppings, and one piece of rye toast with almond butter, cacao, and coconut, is perfect for fueling my daily walk around the lake.

Or just a yogurt bowl:

 
Or the oatmeal that I had today:

 

While walking this month I've listened to my first podcasts ever!  I'm still not really familiar with podcasts, so I've just been jumping around a bit trying to find something that I like, but they definitely make an hour walk go by fast!  I've been searching on YouTube for them. 

Other eats in the past few days have included chicken with a jalapeno cream sauce, and a grilled potato/ zucchini/ mushroom mixture.

Also salmon with a cilantro sauce, and couscous.

I made this nut-free cilantro pesto (I am allergic to pine nuts), and thought it was super bland.  I don't think it's the recipe, rather I just don't think I am a pesto fan.  In general pesto tastes like gritty oil to me (or oily herbs), and I've never had a pesto that had enough flavour for me.  After tasting the pesto a few times, I knew exactly what it needed - vinegar.  I dashed in some white vinegar and a bit of salt, tasted it, and then put in a bit more vinegar and blended it again.  It was perfect.  I suppose it's no longer pesto with the addition of vinegar ... anyway, it was delicious.

With this sauce we ate 1.5 bunches of cilantro in one sitting! (All the cilantro haters are totally cringing at that - haha!)

On Tuesday I made a pavlova for the first time.  I followed this recipe for the pavlova itself, but not for the toppings, as I figured the pavlova was sweet enough and the cream and berries didn't need to be messed with.

Before going into the oven:

After:

I topped it with unsweetened whipped cream, fresh fruit and chocolate shavings:

Yum!  Pavlova is a beautiful, light dessert.

Christopher made short work of this; there is only once slice left!

Have you ever had pavlova?  Have you made it?  Do you like pesto?  

Also, if you have any recommendations for podcasts you think I might like, I'd love to hear them!

Just Right Ghost Pepper, Cilantro Sauce

Our friend Mike's parents grew a bunch of peppers (along with other delicious veggies) this summer, and sent us home with some of the peppers on Saturday evening.  Christopher was super excited to make a ghost pepper sauce, but one that didn't assault the taste buds. 

On Sunday afternoon he couldn't wait to get into the kitchen to start on his sauce.  It turned out perfectly.  The flavours in the sauce don't get masked by heat; you get a little bit of everything.  If you don't like cilantro, however, then this sauce is not the one for you.  Our friend Mike asked if the ghost pepper masks the "soapy" taste of the cilantro ... nope, it doesn't. 

Just Right Ghost Pepper, Cilantro Sauce

1 ghost pepper (ribs and seeds removed; wear plastic gloves)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 large garlic clove
juice of half a lime
1 medium tomato
half a bunch of cilantro

Blend everything together until smooth (he used the Vita-Mix).  Put into a pot, and bring to a boil.  Simmer 10-15 minutes. Cool, bottle and enjoy.

We both covered our eggs with this sauce this morning.  It was perfect.  It's not too hot at all; we've both had way hotter sauces.  It's delicious with a nice bit of heat, which is exactly what we were hoping for.  You could always add another ghost pepper if you really want a punch of heat.

Do you like spicy foods?  Have you tried ghost peppers?

Pink Juice and Baked Eggs

It was so nice to be able to sleep in this morning!! I started my morning with a pink juice:

- 8 strawberries
- 1 ruby red grapefruit
- 1 apple
- 1 orange



Breakfast was baked eggs. I threw some red, orange, and yellow pepper into the bottom of the dish, along with some onion and crumbled bacon. Then I topped all of that with 2 eggs and some cheddar. I baked it for 20 minutes @ 400.





I spent the morning cleaning the house, making a BIG grocery list, and planning for a special dinner tomorrow!!

The hubby came home at lunch and brought me a taco salad (with extra cilantro - just how I like it):



We had a quick and easy dinner featuring these 2 products:







After dinner we met up with 6 of our friends to see some improv at a local coffee shop. It was a nice way to spend a Thursday evening. I enjoyed a pretty latte during the show:



I love a good laugh! Especially with friends.

My snack tonight was some Greek yogurt with about 6 drops of vanilla stevia (sent to me by NuNaturals) and some granola:



Tomorrow we are having friends over for an Irish themed dinner!!!!

Have you ever done a themed dinner?
Tell me about it! I would love some new ideas!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!